SafeSuburbs Logo SafeSuburbs

Wānaka Central Safety Snapshot

Otago, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Wānaka Central safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Wānaka Central has a safety score of 3/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 3% of New Zealand suburbs, with 278.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #118 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago.

The annual total crime rate in Wānaka Central is 278.5 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #118 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago Region. The overall crime trend in the area has increased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in January 2026, July 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
3 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
278.5
Regional rank #118 / 120 (Bottom 25%)
3-Month Trend
i
▲170.6%(worsening)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 89.0%
    Theft accounts for 89.0 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 7.0%
    Assault accounts for 7.0 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 2.2%
    Burglary accounts for 2.2 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 1.2%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 1.2 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 0.5%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 0.5 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Wānaka Central ›

Wānaka Central Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

1,464

Households

621

Median income

$95,054

Median rent

$551

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
147 (10%)
Age 15-64
825 (56.4%)
Age 65+
483 (33%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
972 (67.6%)
Born overseas
465 (32.4%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
1,290 · 81.7%
Māori
78 · 4.9%
Pacific
6 · 0.4%
Asian
144 · 9.1%
MELAA
42 · 2.7%
Other
18 · 1.1%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
1,125 · 100%
Not owned
519 · 46.1%
Other
192 · 17.1%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
321 (18%)
Two families
12 (0.7%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
1,449 (81.3%)

Demographic data sourced from Stats NZ , licensed under CC BY 4.0

FAQ

  • Is Wānaka Central a safe suburb to live in?

    Wānaka Central has a safety score of 3/100, making it the #118 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago Region. 91% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in Wānaka Central?

    The annual crime rate in Wānaka Central is 278.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Wānaka Central

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

Nearby Suburbs